Edwin Nii Lante Vanderpuye, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for Odododiodoo, has argued that the determination of majority or minority status in Parliament should be based on the actual number of MPs in the House, rather than decisions made by the Supreme Court or external political pressure from the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Vanderpuye’s comments follow a legal dispute over Speaker Alban Bagbin’s declaration that four parliamentary seats were vacant, leading to confusion regarding the majority status. Both NDC and NPP factions have claimed the majority position in Parliament.
On November 12, 2024, the Supreme Court ruled against Speaker Bagbin’s declaration in favor of a challenge brought by Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin.
The Court, in a 5-2 ruling led by Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, stated that Bagbin had misinterpreted Article 97(1)(g) of the Ghanaian Constitution in his declaration.
Vanderpuye emphasized that Parliament’s internal processes, such as its standing orders, should govern decisions on majority and minority status, and that these decisions should not be influenced by the judiciary or political parties.
He stated “We want them to understand one fact that as far as we are concerned, issues about minority or majority are determined by the numbers in the house so when we resume the numbers will tell whether we are the majority or they are the majority. This is not about the Supreme Court.
“…It is not for the NPP or the Supreme Court to define for us who are majority or minority in Ghana’s parliament. We have our own procedures for determining who is a majority or who is a minority. When they were declared majority by Speaker Bagbin, did they go to the Supreme Court to seek that declaration?”
